(Time) – As the number of elderly Americans soars, Medicare is testing improved benefits for seriously ill seniors.
Medicare recently announced new rules that may ease the challenges of senior health care. The changes put a new focus on improving treatment of the seriously ill, as well as better planning for end-of-life care.
These reforms are much needed and long overdue. As millions of baby boomers move into retirement, record numbers of Americans are growing older. And these seniors, along with their family members, will need all the help they can get to help them navigate their final days. Here’s how Medicare is attempting to cope with these demands.
Right now, the nation’s current caregiving system relies heavily on the efforts of family members—and it falls far short of meeting demand. As a recent AARP study amply documents, family caregivers are already experiencing a rising financial, emotional, and career toll. It’s unlikely that the system will be able to meet even greater demand from a growing number of aging Americans.